"Hospital Wing! Boys! Do I have to think of everything myself? Sorry, sorry that was unfair but I don't know what happened. One minute he was watching the Sorting, and the next he just went quiet."

"He looks so pale. And should he be this cold?"

"I don't know! I just don't kn-"

"Miss Granger! Kindly cease your histrionics. Breathe. It's not going to help if you start hyperventilating. Now, Madam Pomfrey isn't here at present, so what I am going to do is bring Ha-Mr Potter to my quarters, where I am going to find a Pepper Up Potion. You are going to make excuses to his Housemates, and I will return him to you tomorrow."

"But-"

The voices washed over him, meaningless noise.

How had this happened?

Hogwarts was his sanctuary. At Hogwarts he was Harry Potter, one who was loved and loved inn return, whose jokes were appreciated and encouraged, who had friends who liked him for himself, and not for the prestige of Royalty.

Harry Potter was a wizard. Harry Potter was loved by his family.

Loki…wasn't. But that was fine. Despite the blip during the summer, he was still Harry. Loki had no place here, and his memories seemed content enough to sleep and dream at the back of his mind.

But now.

Two worlds had collided, he had been found and there was nothing to stop Thor, large as life and twice as loud, stirring up memories that would do better to remain buried.

He just wanted somewhere for himself. Was that so hard to understand? Why couldn't they just leave him alone?

"Drink this," said a brusque voice, and he felt a glass against his mouth. He swallowed automatically.

"And this."

Drink. Repeat. Was he repeating the same motions over and over again? Was he doomed to fail no matter what he did?

"Dreamless Sleep. That's all I can give you for now, Harry. But rest assured that I will fix this."

The erstwhile problem was pacing in Tony Stark's room. Because Tony didn't have enough problems already.

"Can you just chill. Wow, I mean you're making me feel tired just looking at you buddy. Don't you need to rest yet? A Thor without sleep is a cranky Thor."

Tony threw a longing look toward his equipment. There were portraits in his room that moved. That he could talk to. He'd already checked for any kind of microchip, or hell, considering how old fashioned these guys were, wires, but he hadn't been able to find anything. Yet.

But before he could get anything like work done, he needed some assurance that tall, blond and angsty wasn't going to storm out of the room and demand to be taken to his brother.

"Look, I'm pretty sure that Harry-"

"Loki," Thor growled.

"Harry," Tony continued, "Is fine. I mean, he just looked like he had a bit of a shock. And fair enough, it's not every day you discover your family's going to be teaching at your school!"

If by teaching, you mean stalking. He added to himself. But didn't say, and hey, look Pepper, tact! He could totally do tact!

Talking of which, he had to work out how to get Skype set up here. Pepper had been nagging him about how Harry was doing, and he figured that she'd probably forgive him for moving to Scotland if she could say hello or something to the kid.

Thor was still pacing.

"Look Big Guy, you need to calm down. We're not just here for your family problems, soap-opera-esq as they are, we're here because we had an entire community of magic users we knew nothing about! Although, magic, hah! Give me a couple of months, three tops, and then we'll see about their magic. Sorry, I digress. Never mind that. Look, tell me about your brother. Was he afraid of the dark, did you go on adorable hijinks adventures together… that sort of stuff. Spill, come on."

Thor brightened.

"I shall tell you one of the Eddas made of our adventures!"

"Edda? Like, poem thing?"

"Indeed!" Thor boomed. "It is one of our shorter ones, but no less valiant!"

And then he began proclaiming. In verse. For half an hour. Eurgh,

It was engrossing enough, once Tony got used to the rhythm of the words, and he couldn't deny that Thor was a good story-teller. But…

"Thor," he said at a sort of stopping point. The Norse God (alien dude?) looked at him woefully at the interruption.

"No, like," said Tony, struggling on through the puppy dog eyes, "I mean, I've heard a lot about your buddy Sif, and these Warriors Three, and I need to meet this Fandral guy!, but you've literally mentioned your brother like, twice. Maybe pick a different one that actually has him in it? I mean it sounds like he just sort of tagged along."

"Friend Tony," said Thor in hurt surprise, "Were you not listening? I told you that he slayed the great wyrm. In truth that is why I chose this adventure, to celebrate my brother's glory."

"…That really isn't coming across…" said Tony carefully. "I mean, I heard the dragon thing was killed, but you only said that something about a fierce battle and warrior prowess. Didn't hear anything about Loki there."

"He cast a mighty spell that blinded it so that I was able to crush its skull with Mjölnir and therefore win the day."

"But you never actually said that. I mean, I'm not saying that it didn't happen, just that it wasn't in your epic Shakespeare recital."

Thor looked blank.

"But it happened."

Tony groaned. Yep, no sleep tonight.

"Okay Thor, let's go over the truth versus what get sold to newspapers, sorry I mean told at feast days…"

It was going to be a long night.

Although not as long as some. For some, the night hadn't even begun, and the Realm Eternal was staying pretty eternally sunny.

"Come on," James groaned, "According to my watch it's ten o' clock at night! I wanted to be home by now! Quick reconnaissance mission is what you said. Home in time to send our son an owl you said. In and out."

"Do shut up James," snapped Lily. "I am trying to figure out where Sirius and Remus landed. I don't think this point me spell is working properly."

"Indeed it is not," said a voice behind them, soft, evoking the feel of baking bread, and love and tenderness.

Lily whirled around immediately, wand up to defend herself. James had already turned, his Auror training kicking in.

"Peace," said the tall stately figure in surprise. She was arrayed in shining gold, with a stately manner.

"I am Frigga, Queen of Asgard."

She smiled at them gently.

"Heimdell found your friends wandering by the Bifrost, and I have received them as honoured guests. Will you not join them? I have a light repast laid and. And it seems to me that we have a need to talk."

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.